The children of American hostages and wrongful detainees in the BOFH Campaign plead with President Biden to bring their fathers home on Father's Day 2023.
Shahab Dalili is an American permanent resident wrongfully detained in Iran since 2016. His name is routinely left out when top government officials have publicly mentioned their commitment to bringing home Americans wrongfully detained in Iran. Shahab's son, Darian, gives a powerful interview calling upon his government not to abandon his father.
Morad Tahbaz has been wrongfully detained in Iran since January 2018. His wife, Vida, is also on a travel ban and can't leave Tehran. Their daughter, Tara Tahbaz, tells the heart wrenching story of a family separated for over 5 years and their fight to get their father out of prison and both their parents home.
Emad Shargi was detained in Tehran on April 23, 2018. He and his wife, both Iranian-born American citizens of over 30 years, were visiting family when in the middle of the night, over a dozen plain-clothed officers broke in and took him to section 2A of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. In November 2020, Emad was given a 10-year sentence, without a trial and based on fabricated charges. Hear his story told by his daughter, Hannah, and sister, Neda.
@POTUS, please bring Emad and all Americans wrongfully detained in Iran home as soon as possible. #BringThemHome
This is a poignant and personal interview by Harrison Li, the son of Kai Li who has been wrongfully detained in China for over 6 years. Harrison tells the unfortunate story of his father and the challenging journey his family has had to deal with over the past few years. His plea to President Biden is for him to please use all available tools to urgently bring his father and all other Americans wrongfully detained in China home.
Former detainee Jose Pereira meets Kay and Frank Denman, whose son Luke is detained in the same prison in Venezuela from where Jose was released on October 1st, 2022. Jose calls upon the government to do more for Luke and fellow green beret Airan Berry.
On November 14th, 2022, President Biden met Chinese President Xi Jinping. Officials discussed the broad issue of innocent American citizens being wrongfully detained in Chinese prisons but President Biden never mentioned their names of the three detainees.
The BOFH campaign reminds the President that the names need to be mentioned at a bare minimum at every high level meeting between the two countries, to truly show that their release is a "top priority" of the US government.
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign highlights the story of Jeff Woodke, who was held hostage in Africa for over 6 years. As humanitarian worker, Woodke worked tirelessly to help the people of Niger until he was captured by a terrorist group in Oct 2016 and never heard from again.
His wife Els gave this interview at the BOFH campaign mural in DC to plead for help getting Jeff home. Jeff was later released in March 2023.
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign highlights the story of Paul Rusesabagina, who was wrongfully detained in Rwanda in August 2020 after being tricked into entering the country. Rusesabagina is best known for his heroic actions saving over 1,200 people during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 that was made into the film Hotel Rwanda.
He was released in April 2023 after President Paul Kagame commuted Rusesabagina's sentence.
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign reminds the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and other senior Biden administration officials of the names and faces of the 15 American hostages and wrongful detainees in its membership. The Campaign reiterates its request for President Biden to meet with them and to urgently use all tools to #BringThemHome before it's too late.
November 13th, 2022 marks 10 years since Mark Swidan was first wrongfully detained in China. Mark has been sentenced to death in spurious drug charges. His arrest has been denounced by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Listen to Mark's mother, Katherine, tell Mark's passionate and heart wrenching story.
